Fill-In Fiancee. Deanna Talcott

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СКАЧАТЬ bachelor who shouldn’t be overlooked. “Fine. I’ll see he gets them. He’s in a meeting now, and I expect it to run late. But you? Duty calls. I’m not letting you out of here until you sign these.” She pushed a stack of papers at him.

      Brett grimaced and checked his watch. “Can they wait? I’m meeting someone and—”

      Carmella drew back, surprised. “Brett? I’ve never known you to weasel out of anything that has to do with work.”

      He grinned. “I know. But I’m getting a new roommate. And I’m meeting her after work.”

      “Her?” A sudden, guilty flush crossed his face, making Carmella only more curious. “Okay, what gives?” she pressed. “Is there a lady in your life that we don’t know about?”

      “No.” As if feigning indifference, he pulled the papers to his side of the desk.

      “Brett, I know you. And you look guilty as sin,” Carmella accused. “Out with it.”

      “It’s nothing,” he protested, his attention riveted to the required signature line. “Everything’s innocent. But because it’s someone who works here—”

      “What?”

      He sighed heavily. “What is the matter with me today? I’m making a habit of saying too much of the wrong thing. It’s good I’m not in the sales department.”

      Carmella pinned him with her gaze. She wasn’t going to let him off the hook.

      “Well, I don’t want anyone thinking office collusion, office romance or anything. You won’t mention it to anyone else, will you?” When she made a cross over her breast. He paused momentarily, then sucked in a deep breath. “It’s Sunny Robbins, from legal.”

      “No!” Carmella sat back in amazement. She’d had no idea that Sunny and Brett even talked—and now they were moving in together? This would put a new twist on Emily’s plans to pair him off with Josie, in public relations.

      Brett shrugged. “Sunny needed a place to stay and I needed someone to help me out when my parents visit next week. It made sense. And I—” he flipped to the last page for one more signature “— I don’t want to keep the lady waiting.”

      “Tell me first. Exactly how is she helping you out with your parents?”

      He moved on to the next paper, then signed with a flourish. “Sunny is going to move in with me and pose as my girlfriend,” he said. “Of course, there’s nothing to it. But my parents claim to have the ideal woman picked out for me—and I just want to show them I can pick my own friends. My own girlfriends.”

      “My.” Carmella’s plump hand fluttered to her chest. “That’s the kind of plan that’ll get you into trouble.”

      “I don’t think so. She’s just going to fill in for me.”

      “Brett, you might be surprised. That girl is a sweetheart.”

      He looked up at her and grinned, pen poised over the next document.

      “Guess I’ll have to find out, won’t I?”

      Shaking her head in mock dismay, Carmella wagged her finger at him. “I suggest you take this seriously.”

      “Come along, luv. Sunny’s only moving in for a couple of weeks and just for fun.”

      Emily, the only daughter of Lloyd Winters, and senior vice president of Global Sales, popped her head in the door. “Um, I’m not trying to eavesdrop, but…” she hesitated, frowning at Brett “…did I hear you say Sunny Robbins is moving in with you?”

      “Not like that,” he exclaimed, capping the pen and handing it back to Carmella. “Sunny has family at her place, and I needed a little feminine touch in mine, so we worked out a deal.”

      Emily’s head swiveled, and Carmella knew just what she was thinking.

      “You and Sunny. Really?”

      He nodded. “Mutual benefits, that sort of thing. In fact—” he rolled his wrist over and checked his watch again “— I’m meeting her now. Provided she doesn’t think I’ve stood her up. Look, Em, Sunny and I just don’t want to get this all mixed up with work. So you won’t say anything, will you?”

      “Absolutely not! I only came in because Carmella buzzed me, not because I was keeping tabs on you.”

      “The thing is, it’s all come about quite suddenly, and I’m in a fix—but I don’t want to give anyone here at the office the wrong impression.”

      “She’s also posing as his girlfriend,” Carmella interjected.

      “She’s what?”

      Brett shifted uncomfortably. “Emily, you’ve been a great friend to me, so I guess I can tell you that my parents seem to think they have the perfect woman picked out for me. I’m determined to show them I can find my own. I don’t need their help.”

      “Oh…” A dawning realization lit Emily’s features. “Well, I agree! You go, Brett. Go.” She shooed him out the door. “Don’t keep your new roommate waiting.”

      Brett buttoned the center button on his suitcoat, then lifted a hand. “Thanks.”

      “And Brett…?” Emily asked.

      “Yes?”

      “Have fun.”

      The moment Brett walked out the door, Carmella and Emily exchanged glances. Significant glances.

      “Okay. What gives?” Emily asked.

      Carmella lifted both shoulders. “A minute after I buzzed you to let you know Todd Baxter was here, Brett walked in.”

      “Wait,” Emily interrupted, her gaze straying to her father’s closed door. “Todd’s here? In there?”

      Carmella nodded, whispering, “Apparently, with all this downsizing, he lost his job.”

      “I heard about his job, but puh-leeze.” Emily shot a second wary look at the door to her father’s office. “I don’t get it,” she muttered. “Why does my dad always treat Todd like the son he never had?”

      “Oh, honey. Don’t think like that. Todd’s just down on his luck right now. He wanted your dad’s advice, that’s all.”

      Emily lifted a shoulder noncommittally and finally said, “Funny, isn’t it, that Brett’s trying to avoid the same situation I got roped into?”

      Carmella pinned Emily with a sympathetic look. “Mmm, I know. Parents mean well. Apparently Brett’s parents have someone in mind for him—not unlike someone else we both know and love.”

      Emily shook her head, and Carmella knew exactly what she was thinking.

      Years ago, Lloyd Winters had hoped to marry Emily off to one of the executives at Wintersoft—and, remarkably, he’d managed it! To the former Wintersoft СКАЧАТЬ